The invention relates to a fastener for detachable fastening of a load carrier on a vehicle, in particular, to or on a motor vehicle roof. The invention also relates to a device therefor, to a load carrier and to a vehicle.
Roof racks are used in very different designs, in order to transport loads on the roof of a vehicle, such as container boxes, bicycles, boats, skis etc. In general, there are two roof load carriers each fitted with a long tie bar, fitted in a transverse direction on the vehicle over its roof and provided at both ends with a load carrier foot. The two roof load carriers are fastened to the vehicle by the load carrier feet in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and at a certain distance from one another. With the current technical state-of-the-art there is no shortage of proposals as to how such a load carrier foot fastening is to be designed. For a vehicle roof fitted with a roof rail the transverse tie bar of the roof rack has clamp or clip type end sections which, when the roof rack is in assembled condition, interlock on the roof rail in the transverse and vertical direction of the vehicle and are frictionally engaged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
For vehicle roofs with an external roof gutter load carrier feet are known (DE - AS 1 266 157) which have an essentially T-shaped fastening plate which is placed in the roof gutter with a rubber or plastic protective cover. In addition, a closure piece angled inwards is fitted here, which can be pulled against the fastening plate by means of a screw which passes through the closure piece and is screwed into the fastening plate. When the load carrier feet are fastened onto the vehicle roof, the roof gutter forms an abutment for the closure piece, i. .e., the closure piece lies on the outside of the roof gutter and the fastening plate is pulled into the roof gutter which lies between the closure piece and the fastening plate by the screw connection between the closure piece and the fastening plate.
A disadvantage of this technical state-of-the-art is seen in the fact that with the friction locking connection between the roof gutter on the one hand and the fastening plate and closure piece on the other hand which is also present in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a transduction of force in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is only possible to a limited extent. If the roof rack is excessively loaded in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, a longitudinal displacement of the load carrier foot by reference to the vehicle roof occurs, whereby the roof loads can become loose from the roof rack and/or scratches can result on the paintwork of the vehicle roof.
The same problem also exists in known load carrier system for more modern vehicles, which generally do not have an external roof gutter. Such systems have load carrier feet which are provided with a rubber buffer, for example, which can be placed on the vehicle roof. The fastening of the load carrier foot on the vehicle roof is effected here by means of a support plate angled inwards, which can be pulled in the direction of the load carrier foot via a screw connection to the load carrier foot, whereby the angled area of the retaining plate engages in the door cut-out of the vehicle in order to grasp behind the roof frame of the vehicle. Other disadvantages of this technical state-of-the-art lie in the fact that if the support plate is pulled too tightly to the load carrier foot by the screw connection dents can be caused in the vehicle roof, and that due to the gripping of the support plate in the door cut-out the door seal can leak and/or loud noises can develop in the gripping area at high speeds.
Finally, load carrier fasteners have also been proposed (DE 32 02 594 C2, DE 37 20 403 A1), where the fastening elements for the load carrier feet grip through openings formed in the outer shell of the vehicle roof If no roof rack is mounted on the vehicle roof, these openings spoil the optical appearance of the vehicle roof considerably, even if they are closed by plugs, as proposed in DE 02 594 C2. Furthermore, these openings are relatively difficult to seal to ensure that no water can penetrate into the vehicle interior and that the opening edges do not corrode in the case of outer shells made of steel sheet. Finally, there is a not insignificant risk of injury from fastening elements which project to the outside from the roof shell, even when the roof rack has been taken off, as proposed by DE 37 20 403 A1.
The invention is based on the task of creating a device for a detachable fastening of a load carrier on a vehicle whereby the load carrier can be fastened easily and securely to the vehicle without the problems described above occurring.
This task is solved by the invention. According to the invention, a device for detachable fastening of a load carrier on a vehicle has a carrier frame on which two retaining elements are fitted, which are relatively mobile to one another when the load carrier is in unfastened condition, and which, when the load carrier is in fastened condition, engage in a gap between a body frame on the vehicle side and a flat body part attached to this, where they interlock on a fastening element fixed on the body frame.
This results in the load carrier being fastened to the vehicle in the longitudinal direction by interlocking of the retaining elements with the fastening element, in the transverse direction of the vehicle, on the other hand, in which the lowest forces are to be expected when the load carrier is in use, by interlocking of the retaining elements in the gap between the body frame on the vehicle side and the flat body part attached to this. Forces working in the vertical direction of the vehicle, finally, are supported by the retaining elements and the fastening element on the body frame on the vehicle side. In this way the roof rack is reliably and securely fastened to the vehicle in the longitudinal, transverse and vertical direction of the vehicle, whereby there is no risk of damage caused by fastening the roof rack on to the flat body part, e. g., damage to the paintwork or dents. Furthermore, the proposed roof rack fastening does not touch the door seals in any way. Nor does the fastening element which is accessible through the gap between the body frame and the flat part of the body project over the flat body part when the roof rack is removed, which is an advantage.
Preferably, the flat body part, which can be a vehicle roof or an vehicle roof module, but does not have to be, has a moulded outer shell and an inner shell made of a plastic foam applied on the outer shell, whereby the fastening element for the load carrier is applied to the inner shell at the same time as the foam is applied, so that no additional work stages are needed to fix the fastening element to the body frame on the vehicle side, which is an advantage.
Preferably, the fastening element projects from the flat body part into the gap between the body frame and the body part via an edge on the outer shell. This favours on the one hand simple and uncomplicated construction and assembly of the retaining elements, which do not have to be specially angled and which are simply to be introduced into the gap from the top for assembly. On the other hand the fastening element projecting over the flat body part can also serve as a handling section for the assembly of the body part on to the body frame, which is an advantage.
Of particular benefit is the preferred design, according to which the fastening element serves not only for fastening the load carrier on the vehicle, but also for fastening the flat body part on to the body frame, so that the fastening element fulfils a dual function here. It is appropriate if preferably the fastening element consists of a metal material, and is provided with at least one internal screw thread section, in which a screw is screwed in, which passes through a flange of the body frame when the flat body part is mounted on the body frame.
Preferably, the retaining elements are sheet metal parts which are hook shaped on their ends which engage in the gap, whereby, when the load carrier is fastened, the hook shaped ends interlock in complementary shaped recesses in the fastening element. The retaining elements can therefore be easily and cost-effectively formed by punching or precision blanking and bending.
In a beneficial preferred design, one retaining element is fixed firmly to the carrier frame, whilst the other retaining element is linked to the carrier frame in such a way that it swivels, whereby a device for optional pulling of the swivelable retaining element in the direction of the fixed retaining element is specified. It is appropriate if preferably each retaining element has an abutment with an opening, and the device for optional pulling of the swivelable retaining element in the direction of the fixed retaining element has a cap screw and a nut, whereby the screw passes through the openings of the abutment and its head lies on one abutment, whilst the other end of the screw, which is projecting over the other abutment, is screwed into the fixed nut arranged on the other abutment. In this way the retaining elements can be braced with the fastening element in a defined and simple manner by screwing the screw into the nut. If a screw pressure spring is arranged on the external circumference of the screw, which is supported at the end on the abutments of the retaining element, in order to apply a force pressing the retaining elements apart from one another, the loosening of the retaining elements from the fastening element is also simple. The screw pressure spring has the effect that when the screw is screwed out of the nut, the abutment of the one retaining element is held at the head of the screw and the abutment of the other retaining element is held at the nut, so that this results in the retaining elements being removed from one another and hence from their interlocking grip with the fastening element.
Preferably the retaining elements are covered with a cover fastened to the carrying frame and which is detachable, preferably made of plastic. This cover, which can be adjusted to the vehicle in respect of its external appearance and design, according to the optical and aerodynamic requirements, prevents the fastening device becoming dirty, and therefore guarantees its long term functioning.
In principle, the carrier fame can be distanced from the flat body part when the roof rack is mounted on the vehicle, because the fastening of the roof rack on the vehicle by means of the retaining elements and the fastening element as described above only occurs in the gap between the body frame on the vehicle side and the body part attached to this. It is appropriate, however, if preferably the carrier frame lies flat on the body part, which, among other aspects, facilitates the assembly of the load carrier on the vehicle. A soft intermediate layer made of rubber, for example, can be interposed between the carrier frame and the body part, so that, at all events, there is no danger of scratching the surface of the body part even with this design.
The transverse tie bar of the load carrier can finally be fastened to the carrier frame in the known manner, for instance by the carrier frame having a hollow profile section, the internal cross section of which is formed to complement the external cross section of the transverse tie bar, whereby the transverse tie bar reaches through the hollow profile section and is fastened in respect of the hollow profile section by means of a screw provided on the hollow profile section, and is detachable, so that the distance from the carrier frames attached on both ends of the transverse tie bar can be correspondingly varied to the vehicle dimensions. Preferably, however, the transverse tie bar of the roof rack is fastened to the load carrier by an elastic buffer element, which contributes to the damping and neutralising of vibrations, which occur in particular when the vehicle is travelling at high speed due to the air stream around the loads fastened on the transverse tie bar and are passed into the transverse tie bar. If it is desired here to adjust the transverse tie bar longitudinally, the transverse tie bar can be structured telescopically for this purpose.